Panchathantram Movie Review: It had been two years since the film was announced, and it was finally ready for release. However, the filmmakers decided to postpone the film’s release until the right time came. The film was finally released today, December 9, 2022. The teaser and trailer drew attention and raised expectations, and comedian Brahmanandam appeared in a cameo. Let’s get into the review and see if the film is worth seeing.
Story
Panchathantram is divided into five stories, each with its own conflict. Each story focuses on a different sense of the human body, such as smell, taste, hearing, touch, or taste. The remaining four stories investigate how the senses interact with one another and whether the characters will be successful in achieving their life form goals.
Cast & Crew
Harsha Pulipaka directed the film, which stars Brahmanandam, Swathi Reddy, Naresh Agastya, Rahul Vijay, Shivathmika Rajasekhar, Divya Drishti, Samuthirakani, and other actors. Raj K Nalli directed the film, Shravan Bharadwaj composed the music, and Srujan Yarabolu produced it through TicketFactory.
| Movie Name | Panchathantram |
| Director | Harsha Pulipaka |
| Music Director | Shravan Bharadwaj & Prashanth R Vihari |
| Producer | Akhilesh Vardhan & Srujan Yarabolu |
| Genre | Drama |
| Cast | Brahmananda, Swathi Reddy, Naresh Agastya, Rahul Vijay, Shivathmika Rajasekhar, Divya Drishti, Samuthirakani |
| Cinematography | Raj K Nalli |
Movie Verdict
The film is an intriguing mixture of human emotions that begins with Vyas, played by Brahmanandam, narrating the five episodes. It then delves into the storylines, where you can see the wonderful talks between Lekha (Shivani Rajasekar) and Subhash (Rahul Vijay), and gradually learn more about the characters as the story progresses.
Despite the fact that the interesting people and exquisite narration lure us in, the film’s main problem is its extremely sluggish narrative. However, the second half of the film, when you can see the depth of the five stories—their challenges, joys, and mental states—emotionally invests you in the plot and holds you until the climax. If you can sit through the film’s sluggish narration until the finish, you will surely come away with a nice feeling.
In terms of performances, the film features a superb cast, but comedic icon Brahmanandam is the main appeal. He played Vyas, and the way he delivered the stories with his comedic timing was a joy to see on film. Swathi has also performed admirably given her limited screen time. Samuthirakani wowed the audience once more with his superb performance, as his sense of smell is so powerful in those scenes.
Harsha Pulipaka, the director, deserves credit for bringing this great narrative to our notice. While there are some writing flaws, such as the fact that many characters do not have happy endings, and the narration could have used a little more racy language, he masterfully handled each of the five stories. He also succeeded in keeping the audience’s attention throughout the film by telling the stories through the five senses.
The visuals in a few episodes are strong, Raj K. Nalli’s cinematography is decent in some situations, Shravan Bharadwaj & Prashanth R Vihari did an amazing job, and the rest of the team did well.
Overall, Panchathantram is a magnificent combination of essential human emotions that will appeal to a wide range of listeners.
Plus Points:
- Stories
- Music
- Screenplay
- Few Performances
Minus Points:
- Slow Narration